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. 2023 Feb 9:14:1064050.
doi: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1064050. eCollection 2023.

Primary thyroid lymphoma: A single-center experience

Jin Seok Lee  1 , Su-Jin Shin  2 , Hyeok Jun Yun  1 , Seok Mo Kim  1 , Hojin Chang  1 , Yong Sang Lee  1 , Hang-Seok Chang  1
Affiliations

Primary thyroid lymphoma: A single-center experience

Jin Seok Lee et al. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). .

Abstract

Background: Primary thyroid lymphoma (PTL) is a very rare entity accounting for 5% of all thyroid malignancies and less than 2% of lymphomas. PTLs are classified as non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphomas in the majority of cases, although Hodgkin's lymphoma of the thyroid has also been identified. This study aimed to identify the clinical, biochemical, and pathological features of primary thyroid lymphomas.

Methods: From January 2008 to December 2020, data from patients diagnosed with PTL treated at the Gangnam Severance Hospital, including clinical, biochemical, and pathological features of thyroid lymphomas, were assessed.

Results: Of 10 patients, nine women and one man, with a median age of 62 (range, 44-82) years were included. Fine needle aspiration biopsy was performed in nine patients and surgical resection was performed in one patient without biopsy. Excisional and surgical biopsies were performed in all patients, including five who underwent excisional biopsy and five who underwent thyroidectomy. Histological analyses revealed that all 10 lymphomas were non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma; six patients had diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, three had mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma, and one had Burkitt lymphoma. Four patients received chemotherapy, two were treated with chemoradiation therapy, one received radiation therapy only, one did not require more treatment after surgery, one refused treatment, and one was transferred to another hospital.

Conclusions: Although PTLs are scarce, clinicians should be aware of this rare entity and evaluate and treat PTLs on an individual basis.

Keywords: Hashimoto’s thyroiditis; Hodgkin’s lymphoma; fine needle aspirate; non-Hogdkin’s lymphoma; thyroid lymphoma.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Ultrasound appearance of thyroid lymphoma. (A) Large solid mass with very hypoechoic feature. (B) Increased vascularity in mass.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Histological features of diffuse large B cell lymphoma of the thyroid. (A) The thyroid gland is diffusely infiltrated by lymphoid cells (hematoxylin-eosin stain, original magnification ×40). (B) The large lymphoma cells show vesicular nuclei with distinct nucleoli (hematoxylin-eosin stain, original magnification ×400). (C) The tumor cells show strong and diffuse positive immunostaining for CD20 (original magnification ×200). (D) The tumor cells have infiltrated into the thyroid follicular epithelium and lumen, confirmed by cytokeratin immunostaining (original magnification ×200).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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